Rescue system for high-rise buildings

ABSTRACT

A system for use in conjunction with emergency rescue sleeves that are mechanically deployed along at least a pair of supporting cables taught between a compacted sleeve storage compartment located at a designated story of a building and an anchor located at a point elsewhere below. The system provides for the slideable extraction of the compacted sleeve storage compartment ( 150 ), from the outer wall ( 110   a ) of a building ( 110 ) at the designated escape story, and the parallel and diagonal deployment of the rescue sleeve ( 112 ) alongside same exterior wall ( 110   a ) of the building ( 110 ).

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to rescue systems for evacuatingindividuals trapped in high rise buildings in case of emergencysituations such as fire or earthquake of the type disclosed inPCT/IL00/00477 Patent Application published as WO 01/62138 on Aug. 30,2001 (hereinafter called “the WO Patent”), the contents of which beinghereby incorporated by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

As clearly follows in light of the description contained in the WOPatent, it has been relied upon that the rescue sleeve, ejected from itsstorage compartment, becomes unfolded along at least two guiding andsupporting cables which are anchored to stationary object(s) located atthe ground (street) level, in front of the building in question.

This, however, may not always be practicable due, among other reasons,to the particular environmental conditions prevailing in the immediatesurrounding of the building. This is particularly true since a certainminimum distance between the building and the anchoring point must bepreserved in order to attain a suitable inclination angle of the sleeve(say 45°), which distance enlarges in proportion to the height of thestory from which the evacuation is requested.

It is therefore the prime object of the present invention to overcomethis pre-requisite of the WO Patent system.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a rescue sleeve thatwill be deployed sidewise, parallel to and diagonally along-side abuilding wall.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Thus provided according to the invention is a system for the evacuationof individuals trapped in multiple story buildings by gliding down arescue sleeve, comprising: a sleeve made of sections, each section beingmade of a sheet material strengthened by a circumferential supportmember, the sections being connected to each other to form a continuousenvelope; at least a pair of cables thread along the sleeve, one at thebottom and one at the top generatrix thereof; a pair of winch systemsfor winding the cables into a dedicated location at the building storyfrom which rescue is requested, so that the sleeve becomes folded into acompact package within a storage compartment; coil spring operated meansfor selectively ejecting and unfolding the sleeve down to ground levelwhere it becomes tied to stationary object(s), characterized in that theaxis of the storage compartment extends in parallel to the buildingwall, the compartment being slidably mounted enabling its extractionoutside the building so that unfolding the sleeve down to ground levelis directed in parallel to and diagonally alongside the exterior wall ofthe building.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Further constructional features and advantages of the invention will bemore clearly understood in the light of the ensuing description of apreferred embodiment thereof, given by way of example only, withreference to the accompanying drawings, wherein—

FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of the rescue system in thesleeve deployed, operative position enabled according to the presentinvention;

FIG. 2 is a partly sectional view of the sleeve-storage compartmenttaken along line II—II of FIG. 3;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line III—III of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a view taken along line IV—IV of FIG. 2; and

FIG. 5 shows the sleeve-storage compartment in its out-doors extracted,ready to activate position.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

In the attached drawings, numerals with the prefix “1” will be used todesignate parts and components corresponding to those of WO Patent;other parts will bear “2” as a prefix.

As seen in FIG. 1, there exists a second building 210 in front of arescue exit 110 b of the building 110. Therefore, the deployment of thesleeve 112 straight ahead is obstructed and only possible side-wise, inone or the other directions parallel to the wall 110 a.

FIGS. 2 and 3 do not materially differ from those of the WO Patent.However, rather than extending normal to the building wall 110 a (asseen in FIG. 8 of the WO Patent), the housing defining compartment 150is parallel to the exterior wall. More particularly, as shown in FIG. 1,and especially in FIGS. 2 and 3, the housing defining compartment 150 ismounted to the building on rails 200 which permit the housing to movelinearly from a stored position within the exit opening formed inexterior wall 110 a, to an operative position, shown in FIG. 1,projecting outwardly from the exterior wall.

Thus, as shown particularly in FIG. 1, flexible sleeve 112 isconstructed so as to be foldable into a compact form for storage withincompartment 150, and is unfoldable into an operative form extendingoutwardly from that compartment to permit individuals to exit throughthe flexible sleeve from the building. As described in the above-citedWO Patent, the flexible sleeve has an entry end secured withincompartment 150, and an exit end to be secured to a stable object at alower level in the extended operative form of the flexible sleeve. Inaddition, the flexible sleeve is supported in its extended operativeform by an upper tension cable, shown at 127 in FIGS. 2 and 3,engageable with an upper portion of each of the rigid rings of theflexible sleeve, and by a lower tension cable 126 (FIGS. 2, 3)engageable with a lower portion of each rigid ring. As described in theWO Patent, the flexible sleeve is constructed of a plurality of rigidannular rings joined together by flexible sheet material; and thetension cables pass through eyelets carried at the upper and lowerportions of the respective rigid rings.

Housing defining compartment 150 includes a pair of sliding doors 170 a,170 b (FIGS. 2, 4) defining an inner or rear wall adjacent to the exitopening of the building exterior wall 110 a, and a pair of sliding doors174 a, 174 b, defining an outer or front wall. Both such walls arelocated vertically and substantially parallel to the building exteriorwall and in alignment with the exit opening when the housing is mountedto the building.

The housing defining compartment 150 further includes a pair of lateralwalls, shown at 175 in FIG. 1 and at 176 in FIG. 2, respectively,extending vertically on opposite sides of the front and rear walls, andsubstantially perpendicular to the building exterior wall 110 a, whenthe housing defining compartment 150 is mounted to the building.

According to the present invention, one of the lateral walls, namelylateral wall 175 shown in FIG. 1, is formed with an opening throughwhich the entry end of the flexible sleeve 120 extends in the extendedoperative form of the flexible sleeve. The arrangement is such that,when the sleeve is in its operative form, it extends at an inclinediagonally alongside, and substantially parallel to, the buildingexterior wall 110 a. Such an arrangement greatly facilitates thesecuring of the exit end of the flexible sleeve to a stable objectlocated relatively close to the building, while at the same timefacilitating the evacuation of individuals entering the flexible sleevein a sitting position at the entry end of the sleeve.

As seen particularly in FIGS. 2 and 3, compartment 150 further includesfirst and second winches 152, 154, coupled to the lower tension cable126 and upper tension cable 127, respectively, for drawing the flexiblesleeve into compartment 150. Compartment 150 further includes a backingplate 164 extending parallel to lateral wall 175 (FIG. 1) and formedwith an opening 164 a (FIG. 2) aligned with, and joined to, the entryend of the flexible sleeve 112, providing access into its entry end.Backing plate 164 is movable away from lateral wall 175 to accommodatethe flexible sleeve in a folded condition when drawn into thecompartment by the winches 152, 154.

As described in the WO Patent, compartment 150 further includes a guidetube 160, 162 (FIG. 3) for each of the tension cables 126, 127 locatedbetween the respective winch 152, 154 and the backing plate 164. Suchtubes guide the linear displacement of the backing plate. These tubesare spaced apart within compartment 150 a greater distance than thetransverse dimension of the entry end of the flexible sleeve 112, suchthat the flexible sleeve is folded in a zig-zag space-saving fashionwhen drawn into the compartment, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, and asdescribed more particularly in the WO Patent.

The operation of the rescue system remains the same (FIG. 1) after thecompartment 150 as a whole has been pushed on the rail systems 200 outof the building wall 110 a as seen in FIG. 5.

The foregoing example has been shown as a left-hand side directed unit,but the same design principles are of course applicable with respect tooppositely directed rescue system.

Various changes and modifications of the invention will be apparent.

1. A system particularly useful for the evacuation of individuals froman elevated level of a building having an exterior wall and an exitopening therethrough; said system comprising: a housing slidablymounted, to said building in alignment with said exit opening to movelinearly from a stored position within said exit opening in saidexterior wall, and to an operative position projecting outwardly fromsaid exterior wall and defining a compartment in said housing; and aflexible sleeve folded into a compact form for storage within saidcompartment, and unfoldable into an operative form extending outwardlyfrom said compartment to permit individuals to exit therethrough fromthe building; said flexible sleeve having an entry end secured withrespect to said housing, and an exit end to be secured to a stableobject at a lower level in the extended operative form of the flexiblesleeve; said housing including a front wall and a rear wall locatedvertically, and substantially parallel to the building exterior wallwith said rear wall in alignment with said exit opening, said housingfurther including a pair of lateral walls extending vertically onopposite sides of said front and rear walls, and substantiallyperpendicular to the building exterior wall, when said housing ismounted to the building; one of said lateral walls being formed with anopening in alignment with said entry end of the flexible sleeve, suchthat in the extended operative form of the flexible sleeve, it extendsat an incline diagonally alongside the building exterior wall, therebyfacilitating the securing of the exit end of the flexible sleeve to astable object located relatively close to the building, and theevacuation of individuals entering the flexible sleeve in a sittingposition at the entry end.
 2. The system according to claim 1, whereinsaid flexible sleeve comprises at least an upper tension cableengageable with an upper portion of the flexible sleeve for supportingthe flexible sleeve in its extended operative form at an inclinediagonally alongside the building exterior wall.
 3. The system accordingto claim 2, wherein the system also comprises a lower tension cableengageable with a lower portion of the flexible sleeve for supportingthe flexible sleeve in its extended operative form at an inclinediagonally alongside the building exterior wall.
 4. The system accordingto claim 3, wherein said compartment further comprises first and secondwinches coupled to said upper and lower tension cables for drawing saidflexible sleeve into said compartment.
 5. The system according to claim4, wherein said compartment further comprises a backing plate extendingparallel to said one lateral wall and formed with an opening alignedwith and joined to said entry end of the flexible sleeve providingaccess into the entry end of said flexible sleeve.
 6. The systemaccording to claim 5, wherein said backing plate is movable away fromsaid one lateral wall to accommodate the flexible sleeve in a foldedcondition when drawn into said compartment by said winches.
 7. Thesystem according to claim 6, wherein said compartment further includes aguide tube for each of said tension cables located between therespective winch and said backing plate and guiding the displacement ofsaid backing plate.
 8. The system according to claim 7, wherein saidguide tubes are spaced apart within said compartment a greater distancethan the transverse dimension of the entry end of the flexible sleevesuch that the flexible sleeve is folded in a zig-zag space-savingfashion when drawn into said compartment.
 9. The system according toclaim 7, wherein each of said guide tube includes a compression springfor urging said backing plate in the direction of ejecting said flexiblesleeve from said compartment.
 10. The system according to claim 2,wherein said flexible sleeve includes a plurality of annular sectionsinterconnected together, each section being made of strong flexiblesheet material attached to and supported by a rigid ring; and whereinsaid upper and lower tension cables pass through eyelets carried byupper and lower portions of said rigid rings.
 11. The system accordingto claim 1, wherein said rear wall includes a sliding door to provideaccess into the interior of said compartment.
 12. The system accordingto claim 1, wherein said housing is mounted to said building on rails.